LSU Tops Tennessee 9-4 To Clinch Series

The sixth ranked LSU Tiger baseball team relied on a big 8th inning and a game winning RBI from the reigning SEC player of the week to top Tennessee 9-4 on Sunday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium.

After Tennessee tied the game at 4 in the top of the 8th, LSU exploded for a 5 run inning as Connor Hale batted in Jake Fraley for the go-ahead run. It was Hale's 3rd RBI of the game, and the Tigers were just getting started.

Christian Ibarra sqeeze bunted home Hale before Mark Laird hit an RBI fielder's choice, scoring Chris Sciambra. Alex Bregman then hit a two-hour RBI single, scoring Laird, and just like that, the Tigers led 9-4.

Before the 8th, it was a gritty game with each team exchanging blows.

"This Tennessee team fought us tooth and nail every step of the way," LSU head coach Paul Mainieri said after the win. "It tested us to the limits. This was a critical game for us to win, and I'm really proud of the way the guys responded."

Kurt McCune (2-1) earned the win for LSU, pitching the 8th inning.

Hale finished the game with 2 hits, 3 RBI, and 1 run scored.

With the victory, LSU improves to 33-11-1 overall and 12-8-1 in SEC play. Tennessee falls to 26-16 and 8-13 in the SEC.